Central Visayas ( ceb, Tunga-tungang Kabisay-an; tl, Gitnang Kabisayaan) is an
administrative region
Administrative division, administrative unit,Article 3(1). country subdivision, administrative region, subnational entity, constituent state, as well as many similar terms, are generic names for geographical areas into which a particular, ind ...
in the Philippines, numerically designated as Region VII. It consists of four
provinces
A province is almost always an administrative division within a country or state. The term derives from the ancient Roman '' provincia'', which was the major territorial and administrative unit of the Roman Empire's territorial possessions ou ...
: (
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...
,
Bohol
Bohol (), officially the Province of Bohol ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Bohol; tl, Lalawigan ng Bohol), is an island province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, consisting of the island itself and 75 minor surrounding islands. ...
,
Negros Oriental, and
Siquijor
Siquijor ( , ), officially the Province of Siquijor ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Siquijor; tl, Lalawigan ng Siquijor), is an island province in the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region. Its capital is the municipality also named Siquijor ...
) and three
highly urbanized cities:
Cebu City
Cebu City, officially the City of Cebu ( ceb, Dakbayan sa Sugbo; fil, Lungsod ng Cebu; hil, Dakbanwa sang Sugbo), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the Central Visayas region of the Philippines and capital of the Cebu Province. Ac ...
,
Lapu-Lapu, and
Mandaue).
Major islands are the eponymous Cebu, Bohol, and Siquijor, together with the eastern part of
Negros
Negros is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . Negros is one of the many islands of the Visayas, in the central part of the country. The predominant inhabitants of the island region a ...
. The regional center and largest city is Cebu City. The region is dominated by the native speakers of four
Visayan languages: Cebuano, Bantayanon, Boholano, and Porohanon. The land area of the region is , and with a population of 8,081,988 inhabitants, it is the second most populous region in the Visayas.
On May 29, 2015, the region was redefined, when Central Visayas (Region VII) lost the province of Negros Oriental to the newly formed
Negros Island Region. However, the region was dissolved, with Negros Oriental returned to Central Visayas on August 9, 2017.
Etymology
The name of the region was mostly chosen by American colonists to denote the centrality of the islands within the bigger Visayas area. There have been proposals to rename the current Central Visayas region, which is dominated by the
Cebuano (Sugbuanon) ethnic group, to Sugbu region, the former name of the region prior to Spanish colonization in the 16th century. The name refers to the former kingdom of the region, the
Rajahnate of Cebu
Cebu, or Sugbu, also called the Cebu Rajanate, was an Indianized raja (monarchical) mandala (polity) on the island of Cebu in the Philippines prior to the arrival of the Spanish conquistadors. It is known in ancient Chinese records as the ...
, or Sugbu in Cebuano.
History
Regions first came into existence on September 24, 1972, when the provinces of the Philippines were organized into 11 regions by ''Presidential Decree No. 1'' as part of the ''Integrated Reorganization Plan'' by President
Ferdinand Marcos
Ferdinand Emmanuel Edralin Marcos Sr. ( , , ; September 11, 1917 – September 28, 1989) was a Filipino politician, lawyer, dictator, and kleptocrat who was the 10th president of the Philippines from 1965 to 1986. He ruled under martial ...
. The provinces of Cebu, Bohol, and Negros Oriental (including its then-subprovince of Siquijor) were grouped together to form the Central Visayas region.
By virtue of Executive Order No. 183 issued on May 29, 2015, by President
Benigno Aquino III
Benigno Simeon Cojuangco Aquino III (; February 8, 1960 – June 24, 2021), also known as Noynoy Aquino and colloquially as PNoy, was a Filipino politician who served as the 15th president of the Philippines from 2010 to 2016. The son of ...
, the province of Negros Oriental was removed from Central Visayas to form the
Negros Island Region along with
Negros Occidental and its provincial capital,
Bacolod
Bacolod, officially the City of Bacolod (; hil, Dakbanwa/Syudad sang Bacolod; fil, Lungsod ng Bacolod), is a 1st class highly urbanized city in the region of Western Visayas, Philippines. It is the capital of the province of Negros Occi ...
. But later Negros Oriental and its capital, Dumaguete City back into Central Visayas on August 9, 2017, when President
Rodrigo Duterte
Rodrigo Roa Duterte (, ; born March 28, 1945), also known as Digong, Rody, and by the initials DU30 and PRRD, is a Filipino lawyer and politician who served as the 16th president of the Philippines from 2016 to 2022. He is the chairperson ...
dissolved the Negros Island Region, revoking Executive Order No. 183, s. 2015 by signing Executive Order No. 38, citing lack of funds to fully establish the NIR, according to
Benjamin Diokno, then Secretary of Budget and Management.
Geography
Central Visayas consists of the two major island provinces of Cebu and Bohol, as well as the smaller island of Siquijor and several outlying islands. It also includes the eastern half of the larger island of
Negros
Negros is the fourth largest and third most populous island in the Philippines, with a total land area of . Negros is one of the many islands of the Visayas, in the central part of the country. The predominant inhabitants of the island region a ...
. The straits of
Cebu
Cebu (; ceb, Sugbo), officially the Province of Cebu ( ceb, Lalawigan sa Sugbo; tl, Lalawigan ng Cebu; hil, Kapuroan sang Sugbo), is a province of the Philippines located in the Central Visayas region, and consists of a main island and 16 ...
and
Tañon are also part of the region as well. The region is bordered to the north by the
Visayan Sea
The Visayan Sea is a sea in the Philippines surrounded by the islands of the Visayas. It is bounded by the islands Masbate to the north, Panay to the west, Leyte to the east, and Cebu and Negros to the south.
The sea is connected to severa ...
, west by the province of Negros Occidental in
Western Visayas, south by the
Bohol Sea, and east by the
Camotes Sea and the island of
Leyte
Leyte ( ) is an island in the Visayas group of islands in the Philippines. It is eighth-largest and sixth-most populous island in the Philippines, with a total population of 2,626,970 as of 2020 census.
Since the accessibility of land has be ...
in
Eastern Visayas
Eastern Visayas ( war, Sinirangan Kabisay-an; ceb, Sidlakang Kabisay-an; tl, Silangang Kabisayaan or ''Silangang Visayas'') is an administrative region in the Philippines, designated as Region VIII. It consists of three main islands, Samar, ...
.
Administrative divisions
Provinces
The Central Visayas region consists of four provinces and three independent cities:
=Governors and vice governors
=
Cities
Demographics
According to the 2020 census, it had a population of 8,081,988. The
population density
Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...
was . The 2015 census showed an average annual population growth rate of 1.76% from 2010 to 2015, slightly higher than the national average of 1.72%.
Languages
The native languages of Central Visayas are:
* Bantayanon, spoken in
Bantayan Island of Cebu province.
* Boholano, a Cebuano dialect spoken in Bohol.
* Cebuano, spoken in Cebu, Negros Oriental, Bohol, and Siquijor. It is the regional lingua franca.
*
Hiligaynon, spoken in western Negros Oriental.
* Porohanon, spoken in
Camotes Islands of Cebu province.
Economy
Transportation
Ports
The Port of Cebu is the region's main gateway. There are also ports in Tagbilaran in Bohol, Larena in Siquijor, and
Sibulan
Sibulan, officially the Municipality of Sibulan ( ceb, Lungsod sa Sibulan; tl, Bayan ng Sibulan), is a second class municipality in the province of Negros Oriental, Philippines. According to the 2020 census, it has a population of 64,343 pe ...
and Dumaguete, both in Negros Oriental. Inter-island shipping is served by numerous shipping lines, two of them fastcraft companies which serve all the provinces in the region.
Airports
The
Mactan–Cebu International Airport
Mactan–Cebu International Airport ( ceb, Tugpahanang Pangkalibutan sa Mactan–Sugbo; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Mactan–Cebu; ) is an international airport serving Metro Cebu and serves as the main gateway to the Central Visayas reg ...
, located in Lapu-Lapu City, is the country's second busiest airport (after
Ninoy Aquino International Airport
Ninoy Aquino International Airport (NAIA , ; fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Ninoy Aquino or ''Pandaigdigang Paliparan ng Ninoy Aquino''; ), originally known and still commonly referred to as Manila International Airport (MIA), is the main ...
in
Metro Manila
Metropolitan Manila (often shortened as Metro Manila; fil, Kalakhang Maynila), officially the National Capital Region (NCR; fil, link=no, Pambansang Punong Rehiyon), is the capital region, seat of government and one of three List of metrop ...
) and one of the only three airports in the Visayas serving international flights (aside from
Kalibo International Airport
Kalibo International Airport ( Aklanon: ''Paeoparang Pangkalibutan it Kalibo'', hil, Pangkalibutan nga Hulugpaan sang Kalibo, fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Kalibo; ) is an international airport that serves the general area of Kalibo, the capita ...
and
Iloilo International Airport
Iloilo International Airport ( hil, Pangkalibutan nga Hulugpaan sang Iloilo, fil, Paliparang Pandaigdig ng Iloilo; ), also known as Iloilo Airport, and as Cabatuan Airport, after the municipality of Cabatuan, Iloilo where it is located, is th ...
). It is the primary
airline hub
An airline hub or hub airport is an airport used by one or more airlines to concentrate passenger traffic and flight operations. Hubs serve as transfer (or stop-over) points to help get passengers to their final destination. It is part of the ...
of
Cebu Pacific
Cebu Air, Inc., operating as Cebu Pacific (), is a low-cost airline of the Philippines. Founded in 1988, it is Asia's oldest low-cost airline. It offers scheduled flights to both domestic and international destinations. The airline operates fl ...
, and secondary hub for
Philippine Airlines and its subsidiaries, with flights to locations throughout the country. It also serves international flights to other Asian and intercontinental destinations.
Other airports in the region are
Bohol-Panglao International Airport which serves Tagbilaran and the rest of Bohol, and
Sibulan Airport which serves Dumaguete and the rest of Negros Oriental.
Mass media
Cebu City is the main media hub for both the region. Large media networks –
ABS-CBN
ABS-CBN (an initialism of its two predecessors' names, Alto Broadcasting System and Chronicle Broadcasting Network) is a Philippine commercial broadcast network that serves as the flagship property of ABS-CBN Corporation, a company unde ...
,
GMA Network
GMA Network (Global Media Arts or simply GMA) is a Philippine free-to-air television and radio network. It is the flagship property of publicly traded GMA Network, Inc. Its first broadcast on television was on October 29, 1961. GMA Network (f ...
,
TV5,
People's Television Network
People's Television Network ( fil, Telebisyon ng Bayan; abbreviated PTV) is the flagship state broadcaster owned by the Government of the Philippines. Founded in 1974, PTV is the main brand of People's Television Network, Inc. (PTNI), one of th ...
,
CNN Philippines
CNN Philippines (abbreviated as CNN PH) is a commercial broadcast, cable and satellite television network in the Philippines. It is owned and operated by Nine Media Corporation, together with Radio Philippines Network (RPN) as the main con ...
, and
IBC 13
Intercontinental Broadcasting Corporation (IBC) is a Philippine state broadcaster owned by the Government Communications Group under the Office of the Press Secretary (OPS).
The IBC, along with sister media companies People's Television N ...
– maintain their respective local stations and branches for viewership, commercial and news coverage purposes. Most of these stations broadcast local news and public affairs as well as entertainment and dramas to cater the local viewers.
Aside from the 24 national daily newspapers available, Cebu City also has 20 local newspapers. Among the widely read are Sun.Star Cebu, Cebu Daily News, and The Freeman. The country's main Islamic news journal, The Voice of Islam, was founded in 1961 and published in this city.
References
External links
*
*
*
{{Regions of the Philippines
Regions of the Philippines
Visayas